Bar stock feed mechanism

ABSTRACT

Mechanism for feeding bar stock to machine tools in which the feeding is effected by a linear motor. The linear motor is arranged for movement parallel to means for supporting the bar to be fed in alignment with the headstock of the machine tool, the movable part of the motor being connected to a pusher arranged to bear against a bar supported on the means.

United States Patent Neary BAR STOCK FEED MECHANISM- Inventor: RichardWilliam Neary, Bromsgrove, En-

gland Assignee: Atlantis Machine Tool Developments Limited,Belbroughton, near Stourbridge, England Filed: Feb. 5, 1970 Appl. No.:9,013

Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 7, 1969 Great Britain ..6,639/69[1.5. CI. ..214/1.5, 82/2.7, 2l4/8.5 K Int. Cl ..B23q 5/22 Field ofSearch ..2l4/l.1, 1.5; 83/2.7; 82/648 4 1 Mar. 21, 1972 [56] ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,595,522 5/1952 Hamey ..2i4/l.2 X 3,147,6539/1964 Jones, Jr. ..2l4/l.4 X

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,024,797 4/1966 Great Britain ..2l4/i.5

Primary ExaminerGerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Frank E. WernerAttorney-Holman & Stern [57] ABSTRACT Mechanism for feeding bar stock tomachine tools in which the feeding is effected by a linear motor. Thelinear motor is arranged for movement parallel to means for supportingthe bar to be fed in alignment with the headstock of the machine tool,the movable part of the motor being connected to a pusher arranged tobear against a bar supported on the means.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMARZI I972 3.650.412

sum 1 BF 3 FIGI.

INVENTOR MW Wldm 4/ ORNEYS BAR STOCK FEED MECHANISM This inventionrelates to bar stock feed mechanism for machine tools, and has for itsobject to provide such mechanism in a simple and convenient form.

Feed mechanism according to the invention comprises the combination ofmeans for supporting the bar for guided lengthwise movement, a linearmotor arranged for movement parallel to the permitted movement of a barsupported by said means, and a pusher connected to the movable part ofthe motor and arranged to bear against a bar supported on said means.

In the accompanying drawings FIG. 1 is a side view of an example of theinvention,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 to an enlarged scale, and,

FIG. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings there is provided a body part on which aremounted a plurality of similarly spaced aligned supports for a bar to befed. Each support is constituted by a fixed part 11 mounted on the bodypart 10 and a movable part 12 which is slidable along the posts 13secured to the part 11 against the action of coiled compression springs14. The parts 11 and 12 are complementarily grooved as shown, to providethe equivalent of a longitudinally extending cylindrical cavity 16 toreceive the bar 15 to be fed. The cavity 16 can be aligned with theheadstock 17 of the machine tool with which the feed mechanism isassociated, and for this purpose the body 10 is mounted upon verticallyadjustable pedestals 18.

The portion of the body part 10, except for the end portion remote fromthe machine tool, is shaped to provide a vertically extending magazine19 for storing the bars 15 prior to their being loaded into the cavity16. The one wall 20 of the magazine is adjustable by a screw 21 to varythe width of the magazine to accommodate bars of different diameters.Moreover, on the adjustable wall 20 is a detent 22, which is connectedby a spring 23 to the movable part 12 of the support, and thearrangement is such that as the part 12 moves away from the part 11against the action of the springs 14, the lowermost bar in the magazine19 will enter the cavity 16, whilst the detent 22 will be rockedanticlockwise as viewed in FIG. 2, to hold back all but the lowermostbar 15 until the support is again closed.

On the body 10 and extending parallel to the cavities 16 in theplurality of supports is a lower track 24 and an upper track 25, whichserve to guide the movable part 26 of a linear motor. The part 26carries a pair of rollers 27 engaging the track 24, and a further roller28 engaging track 25. Moreover, connected to the part 26 is a blade 29which extends through a slot defined between the two parts ll, 12 intothe cavity 16 and has secured to its outer end a pusher rod 30 disposedwithin the cavity 16 or an extension thereof formed in a block 31secured to the body 10 at the end remote from the machine tool,depending upon the position of the part 26 on the tracks 24, whichextend throughout the full length of the body part 10. The fixed part ofthe linear motor comprises an aluminum or other strip 32 secured to thebody part 10 and extending lengthwise parallel to the tracks 24, 25 andto the cavity 16. The pusher rod has a conical depression 33 at its endpresented to the machine tool for engagement with the end ofa bar 15.

Assuming that the part 26 of the motor is at the end of its travel, awayfrom the headstock 17, so that the pusher rod 30 is accommodated withinthe extension of the cavity 16 formed in the block 31, and that thelowermost bar 15 from the magazine has been fed into the cavity 16, thenthe motor is energized to move it towards the headstock 17 along thetracks 24, 25. As a result, the rod 30 engages the bar and pushes itinto the headstock 17 until the bar contacts a stop of known typeassociated with the machine. The machine then grips the bar in knownmanner, and at the same time the motor is deenergized. At the end of themachining operation the portion of the bar which has been worked is cutofi' and the clamping mechanism of the machine opens at the same time,

actuating a switch to reenergize the motor. The linear motor thus movesagam towards the headstock 17, thus feeding another length of the bar tothe machine and the process is repeated until the bar is expanded. Whenthe bar is expended the part 26 of the linear motor will have reached aposition to actuate a return switch (not shown) whereby the motor willbe reversed to return it to the outer ends of the tracks 24, 25. Onreaching the end of the tracks remote from the headstock an abutment 34carried by the part 26 strikes an upstanding pin 35 on a lever 36pivoted on the body part 10 at 37 and pivotally connected at itsopposite end to a longitudinally extending rod 38. On the rod 38 aresecured a plurality of spaced triangular cams 39 which are arranged tocoact with rollers 40 carried by the parts 12 of the supports. As aresult, the momentum of the part 26 will cause the lever 36 to be rockedabout its pivot 37 and thereby move the rod 38 towards the headstock 17.The efiect of this movement is to cause the plurality of cams 39 tocoact with the rollers 40 in moving the parts 12 along the posts 13 awayfrom the parts 11, thereby permitting the lowermost bar to enter thecavities in the supports. The parts 12 will be returned quickly by theaction of the springs 13 and at the same time the linear motor will bereversed to initiate the feed of the next bar and the cycle is repeated.

Between the adjacent supports blocks 41 are secured to the body part 10to support a bar whilst the two parts 11, 12 are separated; these blocks41 conventionally having a V-shaped groove in their upper surface tolock the bar.

I claim:

1. Mechanism for feeding bar stock to machine tools comprising incombination means including a plurality of spaced aligned supports forsupporting the bar for guided lengthwise movement, each of said supportshaving a fixed part and a movable part, a spring resisting movement ofsaid movable part away from the fixed part, a cavity defined between thetwo parts, a linear motor, guide tracks guiding a movable part of saidmotor for movement parallel to the cavities in the supports, a pusherrod movable through the cavities, means extending between the two partsof the supports connecting the pusher rod to the movable part of themotor said pusher rod bearing against a part supported within thecavities, and a magazine disposed above the supports and arranged tofeed the lowermost bar therein into the cavities in the supports as thetwo parts of the supports are separated.

2. Mechanism for feeding bar stock to a machine tool as claimed in claim1, including cam means operable to move the movable part of the supportaway from the fixed part, and means for actuating said cam means saidmeans including an abutment operable by a movable part of the linearmotor at the end of its travel away from the machine tool.

1. Mechanism for feeding bar stock to machine tools comprising incombination means including a plurality of spaced aligned supports forsupporting the bar for guided lengthwise movement, each of said supportshaving a fixed part and a movable part, a spring resisting movement ofsaid movable part away from the fixed part, a cavity defined between thetwo parts, a linear motor, guide tracks guiding a movable part of saidmotor for movement parallel to the cavities in the supports, a pusherrod movable through the cavities, means extending between the two partsof the supports connecting the pusher rod to the movable part of themotor said pusher rod bearing against a part supported within thecavities, and a magazine disposed above the supports and arranged tofeed the lowermost bar therein into the cavities in the supports as thetwo parts of the supports are separated.
 2. Mechanism for feeding barstock to a machine tool as claimed in claim 1, including cam meansoperable to move the movable part of the support away from the fixedpart, and means for actuating said cam means said means including anabutment operable by a movable part of the linear motor at the end ofits travel away from the machine tool.